Football Vs Rugby Research Paper

Caleb Harris
Nathan Tucker
10:00-10:50 A.M.
9/24/10
Football Vs. Rugby “Look at him run the ball, he just trucked through the defender, one left to beat, and he’s tackled… no, wait, he threw a lateral to his teammate and SCORE!!!!!” In America, most people would say that was a great run by Reggie Bush or Adrian Peterson or some other football running back. If this was broadcasted in New Zealand, it would most likely be a rugby play. Rugby is not typically watched in America, the rules are unclear to most and Americans believe rugby looks like football without pads. The truth is that these sports have many differences which include the uniform, the equipment they use, terms, and the point system. The uniforms of a rugby player are
The jersey for a football player has to be worn big so it will fit over the pads. The jersey is a polyester mesh that may be thick or thin. The pads worn under the jersey give great protection for the upper body but leave the mid-section and lower back exposed. Players wear tight fitting pants with slots where pads are inserted; there is a butt pad, two knee pads, and two thigh pads. In football, cleats are allowed to have front spikes but in some places, metal spike bottoms are not allowed. Like rugby, mouth pieces are a must in this sport. You would think that because the athlete wears a helmet his mouth would not be affected in anyway. The truth is that the shock of constantly being hit causes the player to bite down and grind his teeth. Since football players wear armor-like pads, bone-jarring contact is inevitable. The threat to the head obviously includes the possibility of brain damage so the padding inside the helmet is thick; there are forehead pads, ear pads, and padding for the rest of the head. Football equipment is made for high impact hits. Finally, compared to the rugby ball, a football is larger and possesses a sharper, more aerodynamic, definition to its shape. This contributes to the characteristic spiral of the ball in
This is accomplished by carrying, passing or kicking the football across the goal line. The game begins with opposing kick off and kickoff return teams on opposite sides of the field. Kickoffs occur at the beginning of each half and after a touchdown. A team may also kick a field goal for score when it has been unable to score and is within fifty yards of the end zone or after the team scored a touchdown. Once kick-off occurs the return team attempts to run the ball back down field across the goal line and into the end zone for a touch-down. The kick off team executes defensive tasks to stop the ball carrier’s forward progress. Penalties for an off side occurs whenever a player gets ahead of the ball or violates or crosses the neutral zone between teams prior to the ‘snap’ of the ball that triggers the start of play. Physically blocking an opposing player is perfectly fine but special rules are associated with receivers. The infraction is termed pass interference and is usually called against the defensive player when the defender interferes with the offensive receiver prior to that receiver catching a thrown football. After scoring a touchdown, the offensive team is given the option of how it wants to complete the conversion or point after attempt: a kick for one point or a run for two point conversion. The most common tactic is for a team